Oak Leaf Hero Assists Residents After Explosion

Osceola seniors

October 17, 1999|By Joan Ralston

On Oct. 9, an explosion occurred at Oak Leaf Landings, the Senior Housing Project on Central Avenue in Kissimmee. Fortunately for the 54 residents of the complex, Service Coordinator Tony Justiano was present.

On that fateful Saturday afternoon, Justiano was assisting the seniors with a bingo game when he began to smell a strange odor, which he thought was like plastic burning. He walked toward the back of the building to investigate when suddenly the fire alarm went off and the sprinkler system started working. Sparks began to fly and Justiano was thrown 20 feet across the building as an electrical transformer blew.

Justiano pulled himself up and started evacuating the seniors. He led them to a park outside the building, calmed them and began checking to see if all the people were present. He suddenly realized that resident George McDuffy was still inside. He rushed to re-enter the building but was stopped by the fire department personnel who had responded to the alarm. He told a firefighter how to get to McDuffy's apartment and soon McDuffy was out of the building. McDuffy is deaf and he had taken his hearing aids off and did not hear the explosion.

The day wasn't over for Justiano. He used a firefighter's cell phone and began alerting leaders from the Osceola County Council on Aging. When Housing Director Jill Beckwith arrived, Justiano helped her find housing for the residents.

``I don't know what would have happened if Tony hadn't been so alert and quick with handling the disaster. I feel he is our hero,'' Beckwith said.

Justiano was very humble when talking about his role in the explosion. ``I thank God no one was hurt,'' he kept saying.

He was very concerned about one woman who was cut with glass when the blast shattered a window. He said the paramedics treated her right away and she was all right.

Working in difficult situations is not new to Justiano. During the Korean War, Justiano served in the military and lost many of his friends and fellow soldiers during a two-month stay on Heartbreak Ridge during the latter months of the war. His regiment was assigned to Bloody Hill, which is the highest point of Heartbreak Ridge.

Justiano was born and raised in Puerto Rico. After completing college, he traveled to New York, where he worked for Catholic Charities for 13 years helping children adjust after being released from foster care.

He then returned to Puerto Rico and worked for the Public Housing Department doing community relations. After his retirement, he came to Florida as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program worker with the Osceola Council on Aging. He did volunteer work at the Senior Center until Oak Leaf Landings was built and needed a part-time service coordinator to assist the seniors with daily living needs.

Oak Leaf Landings is still closed. Repairs are being made to the wiring and structure of the building. No opening date has been set. Forty-four seniors are living with relatives and ten others have been housed in a local motel.

Justiano and his wife, Lesbia, live in St. Cloud. The community owes Tony a big thank you.

Congratulations to Mary Nelson, who is celebrating her birthday today.

The Toho Friends seniors group will meet for a monthly social luncheon at noon on Wednesday at Sizzlers on U.S. 192 in Kissimmee. Visitors are invited but encouraged to call President Robert Donenfeld at (407) 870-9165 for information and to reserve a seat.

Joan's smile for the day:

They say it happened in Louisiana:

A man walked into a Circle K, put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.

(If someone points a gun at you and GIVES you money, was a crime committed?)